Chapter 7: The Blue-Eyed Teacher and the Princess

Bi Yeon averted his gaze from the Emperor’s piercing eyes and spoke with deliberate coldness.

“It seems you are the one who is confused, General.”

If they had decided to preserve their lives and make a fresh start, they should at least avoid becoming stumbling blocks to one another. If Yong Je Hyeon rejected the duty given by his new master, the Emperor, he could be executed immediately for disobedience. The very fact that they had arrived here alive meant they had already yielded to Horyu.

Even if one dislikes it, one must serve when a new superior is appointed. Why did this man, with whom he hadn’t even been that close, keep making things difficult by stressing a clumsy sense of integrity? Above all, if Song Bi Yeon was the reason Je Hyeon was refusing his duties, the sparks might fly toward Bi Yeon as well. Bi Yeon wanted a smooth transition.

“His Majesty told me he would entrust me with the education of the successor. In Horyu, where talent is highly valued, who would dare threaten a Grand Preceptor? General Yong, please do not concern yourself with my affairs and focus on your new station with a fresh mindset.”

However, as soon as Bi Yeon finished speaking, a chilling silence descended upon the Great Hall. Bi Yeon felt his heart shrink for a moment, wondering if the word “Grand Preceptor,” which he had subtly slipped in, had offended the Emperor. But the Emperor asked something else.

“Successor? Did I say such a thing?”

He looked genuinely puzzled. Bi Yeon was gripped by an ominous premonition that he might lose the ground he had just gained. He had no official rank, but he couldn’t let even the title of “Teacher” be taken away. Bi Yeon felt the need to refresh the Emperor’s memory before he could feign ignorance.

“……Your Majesty told me in the barracks that night that you would entrust your child’s education to me.”

Child’s education is successor’s education, isn’t it? Though he had exaggerated a bit, Bi Yeon didn’t want to look like just any ordinary tutor while Yong Je Hyeon was receiving a radical promotion right next to him. A long silence followed. As it stretched on, Bi Yeon’s anxiety got the better of him, and he glanced upward, only to lock eyes once again with the Emperor’s bottomless black gaze.

It was an absurd thought, but the moment their eyes met, he felt as if his entire body were bound by chains. Bi Yeon naturally looked toward Yong Je Hyeon, avoiding that terrifying stare. After a moment, Young Tae Ryung’s voice drifted down from above.

“A promise is a promise, so I must keep it. I will not stop you. Even as a soldier, it is up to the individual how they spend their time when not in training.”

This time, Yong Je Hyeon finally bowed with his hands clasped.

“The Imperial grace is boundless.”

So, there truly had been such a promise. Bi Yeon was both relieved and dumbfounded by the situation. What was Yong Je Hyeon thinking? Being dragged here under such public scrutiny, even talking in the hallway could lead to charges of treason, yet he seemed intent on playing at a friendship they hadn’t even shared in their home country. It seemed best to avoid him for the time being. The Emperor continued:

“And Teacher Song. I leave my child in your care.”

Bi Yeon noted that the Emperor used neither the word “Grand Preceptor” nor “Successor.” He felt a slight sense of foreboding. Nevertheless, he also bowed, stacking his hands and lowering them below his eyes. As he bowed, his long silver hair spilled over his navy-blue sleeves like threads of shimmering silk.

“The Imperial grace is boundless.”

“It is late today, so it cannot be helped, but I expect you both to focus on your new duties as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”

“We shall keep it in mind.”

This time, Yong Je Hyeon and Song Bi Yeon replied in unison. The long day in Geumseong was coming to a close.

The room given to Bi Yeon was larger than expected. Since he had been brought here almost like a captive, he didn’t have many belongings, but even after organizing his bundles of books and clothes, there was plenty of space left. He thought he might like to bring in some potted plants later when he had the chance.

Yong Je Hyeon had also received a room, but it was heard that he would live outside the palace as soon as a private residence was prepared. As a soldier, it was naturally better for him to live near his unit. Bi Yeon was pleased with that arrangement, as it meant they would cross paths less often. What Bi Yeon wondered was whether a house would be granted to him as well.

‘This place isn’t bad, but still.’

If Yong Je Hyeon received one, Bi Yeon should too. Regardless of how the Emperor viewed their utility, they were in different fields. Bi Yeon thought back to how the Emperor seemed strangely generous toward Je Hyeon or gave him a better post. It was fine if Bi Yeon was the favorite, but it shouldn’t be someone else. Perhaps the Emperor valued Yong Je Hyeon more than Song Bi Yeon.

‘The nerve.’

The thought was absurd. Though it was awkward to say so himself, Bi Yeon had a record of blocking the Horyu Emperor’s invasions three times, as the Emperor himself had admitted. Considering that none of the four annexed nations had stopped Horyu more than once, Bi Yeon’s resourcefulness was truly remarkable. He was a genius and an ambitious man who had risen from a humble background to the position of second-in-command without any backing, and he took great pride in that fact.

‘I must show him just how great I am.’

To do that, he had to excel at the task at hand. Bi Yeon spent a long time thinking about how to make his sudden job as a teacher outstanding and more prominent before drifting off to sleep where he sat.

The next day, a maid brought water for his morning wash. Since no official robes had been provided, Bi Yeon wore the clothes he had brought from Mokju. He put on a white under-robe that reached his toes, donned a long-sleeved navy-blue coat over it, and tied his waist with a wide, dark purple silk sash. Finally, he tied his long, silver hair neatly into a single tail. Dressed like this, he looked exactly like the Chancellor Song Bi Yeon heading to court. He shook his head to clear his wandering thoughts.

Guided by the eunuchs, he moved to the place where the lessons would occur and took his seat in the prepared study. He was mentally rehearsing how old the child might be, how smart, what their personality was like, what to teach first, and how to speak.

Suddenly, someone kicked open the sliding door with a loud thud! and stomped inside. Behind them, a swarm of maids and eunuchs could be heard chasing after, shouting “Your Highness!” but the door was slammed shut even faster. Bi Yeon bolted upright in surprise. He reflexively bowed his head and began to speak.

“Your servant Song Bi Yeon, of the Empire’s……”

“Is it you?”

A shrill, sharp voice rang out. But as Bi Yeon raised his head involuntarily, he saw a beautiful young girl standing before him, her thick black hair flowing like waves. Bi Yeon’s eyes widened. It was not a prince.

‘A girl…?’

Princess Young Eun Su of Horyu had been receiving her nightly grooming from her maids when she heard that all the teachers who had been instructing her were assigned to her younger brother for no reason. She had exploded in a fit of rage.

“Why? Have I done anything recently to offend Imperial Father?”

She had her thick black hair half-bound and secured with a plum-branch-shaped hairpin, but she stood up and slammed the table so hard that the pin nearly fell out. The maid who delivered the news bowed her head in distress.

“That cannot be, Your Highness. His Majesty said he would appoint a new teacher for you instead…….”

“Then he could have just added one! Is the Noble Consort playing tricks again?”

Young Eun Su, who turned nineteen this year, was the only legitimate daughter and the eldest child of the Emperor and the late Empress. The Empress had died of illness five years ago, and since then, the Emperor had intentionally left the position of Empress vacant. Naturally, the management of the Inner Court fell to Noble Consort Ju, who acted as if she were the Empress with the Emperor’s silent consent. She was making every effort to elevate her own son, Prince Eun Hwi, as the next successor.

It was already obvious that Noble Consort Ju was using her massive family influence to support Eun Hwi, so hearing that even the teachers she liked were being taken away made Eun Su’s fury peak. She bit her lip anxiously and paced around her chair.

“She must be holding a grudge because I was praised during the spontaneous quiz Father gave last time while Eun Hwi couldn’t answer several questions. That woman is desperate to trip me up by any means necessary.”

“……Your Highness, one must meet many different teachers to broaden one’s knowledge and learning. Furthermore, no matter how brilliant the Grand Preceptors are, students have different levels; how could they turn a stone into jade? It is a fact known to all that there is no one in this palace more excellent than Your Highness, except for His Majesty.”

A calm and graceful voice spoke on behalf of the terrified maid. It was Dong Baek, the Princess’s confidante who managed the Princess’s Palace.

“I know! But I don’t like that she took what was mine.”

‘One day, I’ll throw them all out,’ Eun Su muttered. She was still huffing, but her anger had clearly subsided compared to a moment ago. With a sulky face, she sat back down. Immediately, Dong Baek began to comb her hair with a careful touch after removing the hairpin. Eun Su dismissed the other maids with a gesture and asked in a lowered voice.

“By the way, who did they say the new teacher is?”